As a child Maya does not fully understand what occurred in the terrifying place she thinks of as there. In the late 60s and early 70s in Montreal, widespread knowledge of the Holocaust didn’t exist. Maya is an immigrant, raised by a single mother who is a Holocaust survivor. In Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth, Maya, the narrator, looks back on her life forty years earlier and the events that led her and her friends to make a secret pact. A change in perspective, and a sense of humor. But Ravel offers us something new from time to time.

Some parts drag too long, others don't last near long enough. It lacks some connection, at times, some plots twists and turns seem a little contrived. But with a backdrop of hidden horrors, Your Sad Eyes touches on themes of survival, belonging, guilt and the responsibility we have to ourselves and others when linked by tragic events. Primarily, this is not a 'holocaust novel'.

Rosie, Patrick and Anthony all have their own ways of dealing with a past that they did not experience first hand. But when Maya's mind catches up and thrusts her into thoughts of the past,w e watch her crumble. Maya fights to remain detached from her mother's past, refusing to hear her tales of woe, sliding into a false sense of apathy. So often such stories like this do not have much more to offer than descriptions.Ī character driven story, Your Sad Eyes has something different in that its characters are all children of holocaust survivors and Ravel shows us the different ways in which a survivor and an immigrant may respond to a new life in Montreal, and they ways in which their children may absorb the stain of tragedy upon the family. However, though the novel can get stuck in the trials and tribulations of growing up, it does turn out to have a plot. You Sad Eyes hosts all of these things, and at times, I thought, gosh, I am reading the same thing, over and over. I often find myself caught up in books that follow our tortured female heroine through the paths of a coming of age story, packed with beautiful prose and language, rich imagery, angst ridden plot twists and broken people side characters whose lives are rife with the arts, literature, music, painting.

At moments during this novel, I felt that I had read it before.

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